The Loss of a Legend: Mourning Len Francies

Saying Goodbye to a Trail Maintenance Master, Community Builder, and Best Friend
It is with great regret that we acknowledge the loss of one of our founding members, former Board officer, and close friend Len Francies, who passed away on New Year's Day while riding Grand Ridge with his close friend, Art Tuftee.

After a life of enthusiasm and boundless energy for riding, trail building, and serving others, Len’s heart came to rest on one of his favorite trails.

Len’s enormous contributions to maintaining access and continuing trail work formed the foundation of Evergreen and set the tone for the volunteer ethic that would come to define our organization.


He was a tireless mountain biking supporter and a generous contributor to Evergreen, a steward whose vision and foresight brought us many of the trails we love so dearly--and whose passion for keeping them clear allowed us to ride and enjoy them year-round.

Whether training Evergreen volunteers or spending countless hours improving a trail, Len continually put his effort into providing the best possible riding experience to our community.

For two decades Len supported Evergreen with his expertise, counseling our staff about the wisdom of conserving land, and the importance of making it accessible to everyone. And he was the key driver behind Evergreen's USFS Chainsaw Certification program.


Len’s influence touched nearly every mountain bike trail; from Greenwater to the Middle Fork, to Duthie, Black Diamond, and Tiger.

More recently, he helped our team get started on the Olallie trail and pulled off an epic accomplishment in completing Predator with our crew. Much of our organization’s progress and success is the result of Len’s contributions and support.

Len was relentless in his dedication to the sport, his friends, our trail crew, and his fellow volunteers. That relentlessness earned him the nickname “The Legend” - helped along by his zeal for tireless maintenance work, extra-long rides, and camping experiences that taught his friends the true meaning of mountain biking.

Len’s enthusiasm for the sport was contagious and his loss will be felt deeply. Our thoughts are with Len’s family and friends. Our hearts remain filled with the happy memories we had with our friend. And our eyes forever look to the next bend in the trails he so generously helped build with us.

--The Evergreen Staff and Board

Services for Len:
Saturday, January 9, 2016, at 1 pm
Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club
36005 SE Ridge St,
Snoqualmie, WA

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